In the semi-sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, titled Zelda
Gaiden, a lot of new additions have been implemented -- and a lot has changed.
The game will be playable at Nintendo's Space World in little more than a
week and, of course, we'll be there to cover it. But in the meantime, we've
compiled a list of newly released facts about the game that are sure to spark
your interest. Enjoy:

A Parallel World

In Zelda Gaiden, Link finds himself in a parallel world where characters
that were introduced in the first game may be introduced slightly different.
In other words, some of the characters in the game will offer players different
quests and form decidedly opposite partnerships with our hero than they did
in Ocarina of Time.

A New Story

The game is again set in Hyrule, a few months after the events in Ocarina
of Time took place. Naturally, Link is his young elf self again and Ganon's
threat has been completely defeated. One day, Link happens to bump into a
strange fellow in the woods, Stalkid, who mocks Link and tells him that he
has "foalnapped" Epona, Link's horse. Before Link even knows what's going
on, Stalkid takes off and escapes through a mysterious door. Like in "Through
the Looking Glass" (Alice in Wonderland), Link follows the odd guy and finds
himself in an all new world, where an ominous moon threatens to crash to
earth and destroy all life. Of course, it's Link to the rescue... With the
help of his trusted friend Navi, he must overcome the dark threat and try
to prevent the deadly catastrophe.

Masks

The use of masks has been greatly expanded over Ocarina of Time. Link will
be able to use the power of certain masks to change his appearance and give
him special abilities. For example, one mask turns him into a Zora, enabling
him to swim underwater. Another mask will turn him into a Goron, allowing
Link to curl up into a ball and roll around. Yet another mask will turn Link
into one of those annoying Deku Nut guys and allow him to fly with the use
of a flower in a hang glider-like fashion.

Weapons

Many of the classic Ocarina of Time weapons and items are back, including
the hammer, the bow and arrow, hookshot, the boomerang, the ocarina, the
bombs, and the dagger -- only that young Link can now use all of them. There
may also be some new items in the game that Nintendo hasn't unveiled yet.

Real Real-time

The game will progress in real-time. There is a meter at the bottom/middle
of the screen now that shows the position of the sun or moon at all times.
It is believed that the time that passes during gameplay affects the outcome
and story of the game much more than in Ocarina of Time. This feature is
no doubt a remnant from the game's planned 64DD incarnation, where everything
you do in the game causes lasting repercussions.

New Bosses

Gaiden features completely new, big bosses. While the specifics of all the
bosses in the game are still being kept secret, we do know of at least three:
a Gohma-like creature, an oversized frog and a giant warrior.

Expansion Pak

Since the game was originally designed to run on 64DD, a unit that required
the 4MB RAM expansion, it's no surprise that Gaiden (now on cart) will support
the RAM Pak. However, it is very likely that the RAM Expansion will actually
be REQUIRED to play Zelda: Gaiden -- just like with Donkey Kong 64.

Gaiden is expected to ship in Japan March 2000. Look for more news and images
for Gaiden next week from Space World.

Zelda Gaiden

More Zelda Gaiden Details

- Gaiden takes place only a few months after The Ocarina of Time left off.

- The world as Link knows it temporarily seems fully restored and at peace,
but something goes wrong.

- The moon above the land is gradually falling from its place in the sky.
"If left alone," says Miyamoto, "the world will - come
to an end in a matter of days. If the moon were to fall all the way down
to the earth, that would be it for the people."

- The game utilizes an improved version of the Ocarina of Time engine that
utilizes the added RAM of the RAM Expansion for more detailed environments
and a greater number of enemies on screen.

- Link's physical appearance may change whenever he dons a mask now. In a
style similar to that of Rare's Banjo-Kazooie, players will need to determine
which character (or mask) to use in specific scenarios.

- The number of masks has increased greatly. Players will be able to carry
multiple masks, rather than exchanging them for different ones.

- I- n Gaiden, child Link will be able to ride a young Epona. "Things that
people wanted to do in the last game, we are trying our best to include them
this time around," says Miyamoto.

- The sun moves in real-time, as we reported yesterday. But there is more
to it. Just as the sun moves, so does the moon above the earth, which is
slowly falling downwards onto the planet. So players cannot waste time lounging
around the environments and staring at the sun. Miyamoto comments, "This
time, if you just sit around and look at the sun, the world is finished (from
the moon crashing on the sun). It's that type of game."

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Zelda Gaiden and Ura Zelda are two Different Games

Miyamoto confirms that Zelda Gaiden and the 64DD "Ura Zelda" are two separate
games.

In an interview with Japanese game magazine Famitsu Weekly, Shigeru Miyamoto
confirmed once and for all that the cartridge-based Zelda Gaiden and the
long talked-about 64DD Ura Zelda are two separate projects.

"We wanted to make a new game that is based on the Zelda system," said Miyamoto
in reference to Zelda Gaiden. "Also, in the light of games that require the
memory Expansion Pak like 'Donkey Kong 64,' we wanted to make a 'Zelda' game
that took advantage of the Memory Pak as well. That game is Zelda Gaiden.
Therefore, this will not be a game where the locations of the dungeons are
simply changed around."

While Miyamoto did note that "The 64DD 'Ura Zelda' is moving along on its
own," he was not willing to divulge further details regarding the game. When
Nintendo first announced the already released Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of
Time, it was planning to make the game the 64DD disk drive's flagship title.
But hardware delays and a lack of third party support forced Nintendo to
convert Ocarina of Time to a cartridge game and start work on a second, add-on
adventure for the 64DD. Dubbed "Ura Zelda" (Japanese for "Another Zelda"),
the 64DD adventure is said to enable gamers to revisit areas and dungeons
of Ocarina of Time and experience new adventures in familiar surroundings.

Gaiden, on the other hand, which is best translated as "side story", only
takes Ocarina of Time as a starting point and seems to offer plenty of new
dungeons in addition to an all-new quest.

Zelda Gaiden, which is scheduled for a March 2000 release in Japan (and possibly
worldwide), will be playable at next week's Space World in Japan. There are
currently no plans to unveil the 64DD-only Ura Zelda at the same time.

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Even More Zelda Gaiden Details

In an interview with Japanese game magazine Famitsu Weekly, Zelda Gaiden's
designer Shigeru Miyamoto revealed new tid-bits on the anticipated Zelda
semi-sequel. The creator of the Zelda franchise (and countless other Nintendo
mascots) spoke on everything from Gaiden's fishing aspect to its percentage
of completion. For your convenience, we've compiled the most notable revelations
of Mr. Miyamoto's interview into an eye-pleasing list. We do this because
we care.

Jabu Jabu Fishing

The fishing sequence present in Ocarina of Time will be enhanced. Miyamoto
comments, "Rather than taking the fishing part of the last game to extremes,
we want to do something new with it. Like 'Jabu Jabu' fishing." As you may
remember, Jabu Jabu -- a gigantic fish -- was the deity to the Zora in Ocarina
of Time. Link journeyed into the belly of Jabu Jabu to save princess Ruto's
life.

Miyamoto, unwilling to reveal all the details surrounding the enhanced fishing
mini-game, did offer Famitsu this: "If you catch the 'Jabu Jabu,' it may
cause things like stopping the fall of the moon."

The fishing mini-game will offer a means of earning Rupies in Zelda Gaiden.

Time for Sale

In Gaiden, real-time progress will play a much more integral role than it
did in Ocarina of Time. As a moon above Link's planet slowly falls towards
the earth, players will have to accomplish all of their tasks before time
runs out. Lazy adventurers, though, will be happy to learn that time, it
seems, is not without its price. "They say 'Time is money,'" elaborates Miyamoto.
"You will be able to buy time using Rupies. There will be a merchant who
sells time."

Complete or not Complete?

According to Miyamoto, Zelda Gaiden's engine is already finished. "I would
say [the game is] about 50% complete," comments the designer. "All that is
left is the second half of the data."

Zelda Gaiden will use the 4MBs differently than any other N64 game to
date. Full details.

In the past, when gamers thought of the 4MB Expansion Pak, one enhancement
generally popped into mind: a high-resolution mode. This was the case for
Turok 2: Seeds of Evil, the game that helped introduce the extra memory into
the US market, and this has been the case for countless Nintendo 64 titles
since then. Zelda Gaiden and Donkey Kong 64, however, will take the 4MBs
into a new direction -- one that seems infinitely more important.

"Zelda Gaiden and the upcoming Donkey Kong 64 will use the memory differently
(than Turok 2 or Episode I Racer," game designer Shigeru Miyamoto told Famitsu
Weekly. "Of course the graphics will look better, but the memory will be
used for improving framerates."

Additionally, the enhanced memory will allow for more enemies on-screen (with
a smooth framerate), smarter enemies and, according to Miyamoto, "the text
will be more detailed." We're not exactly sure what he's referring to here.
Could this mean that text will be displayed in a high-resolution mode, enabling
crisper detail?

The game, like Donkey Kong 64, will absolutely not work without the extra
memory.

When asked if he thought the number of games requiring the Expansion Pak
would increase, Miyamoto had this to say: "I think so. If you have the Pak,
it makes some things in games better. At any rate, the number will increase
because it makes better games. I think people that have really pushed the
abilities of the N64 will want to try using the memory Expansion Pak next.
Especially Rare, who look like they want to use it in all their games."

Young Link takes a ride on Epona the pony! Notice the new meter at the bottom of the screen. We can only speculate at this point, but it looks like it might be some kind of Hyrulian sundial. Also, the background scenery looks totally new, so we can assume that the action in Zelda Gaiden will take place in new areas of Hyrule. It also looks like young Link has the bow in this photo, though this detail will probably change in the final game.

Here's another shot of young Link, this time with an impressive mural of some sort in the background. The designs on this wall do not appear to match any that are present in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Notice the unusual icon on the Down-C Button-- it appears to be some kind of fruit or berry of some sort, though it could also represent a Deku Scrub's head.

Zelda Gaiden introduces all-new enemies to threaten the intrepid Link. In this shot, Link battles what looks like a humanoid Gohma. The icons in the upper right are very intriguing in this shot. It looks like two of them feature "masks"-- the Bunny Hood and Goron Mask. The Blue Button indicates "Jump" and the Up-C is "Navi" of course. Of course, this impossible situation may be changed in the final game.

This looks like a new dungeon. Pretty cool entrance. Notice how Link is able to carry more masks. Also notice the new mask on the Left-C icon. This might all change in the last version of the game.

Must be one of the new bosses. He looks cool. This battle must take place underwater because of the bubbles you see. Also notice how young link is ab le to use the Fairy Bow.

This screenshot looks good. It shows young Link next to some sort of bridge and it looks like he is at the entrance to somewhere. He is in the woods.

This is believe it or not, Link. In Zelda Gaiden Link will be able to change into whatever mask he is wearing. In this case it's the Zora Mask. Link will be able to get to many different places depending on what mask he's wearing (Zora, Goron, etc...).

This screenshot shows Link in a place that could be a ranch, probably another ranch besides Lon Lon Ranch. He is next to Malon, but she seems old and he is young. If you look in the back, you could see Ingo, but it's probably some new character.

Like I said before, Link can change into whatever mask he's wearing. In this case it's the Goron mask. Also, look at the setting. It looks very nice

Yet another screenshot of Link as a Zora. He will be able to swim with the Zora.

This screenshot shows Link with some sorta freak. This probably takes place in the woods, but chances are that it will change.

Link rides a young Epona. Check out the ground textures. Not bad, huh?

Bosses? Did you say bosses? Don't worry 'bout that. Gaiden's got 'em.

A little hang-gliding action for players. Donning different masks in the game, Link can perform a number of tasks such as this.